An everyday workplace scene at the New York City office of Girl Rising
As I near the end of my internship, I’m realizing how many projects I’ve gotten the opportunity to help with and diverse skills I’ve developed. Looking back on my experience, one goal I feel particularly strong about- understanding how nonprofits leverage partnerships with other organizations, individuals, and governments- has come to fruition during my time at Girl Rising, along with improved research and communication skills.
Many of the projects I’ve been involved with, such as emailing other nonprofits for the Girl Rising HP Storytelling Challenge, have given me direct experience in outreach and forging partnerships. I can verify that I’m learning, not just experimenting with outreach, because I’ve gotten to sit in on a variety of calls and meetings in which other staff at Girl Rising successfully connected with other organizations. Additionally, I’ve been improving my research skills with the help of my supervisor, who provides suggestions and refinement to produce a better product. I also know that I’m improving at communication and teamwork each time the intern team successfully completes a project.
One project I’m currently very excited about is a series of educator toolkits I’m helping prepare. Girl Rising provides curriculum that focuses on challenges for girls in a variety of countries, and I’ve been placed in charge of updating the informational fact sheets for each country in the education module. With countries including India, Peru, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Thailand, Haiti, and Nepal, I’ve been fact-checking Girl Rising’s statistics and even providing input as to which facts should or should not be included. I’m also currently writing brief “Historical and Cultural Context” summaries, a difficult task considering the rich and complex histories of each country. My proudest moment at my internship so far occured when my supervisor commended me for summarizing India’s history in a short 100-word paragraph, and I’m excited that content fellow interns and I wrote will be published for educators to use.
In addition to improving my writing, I’ve also developed other tangible skills at my internship. I’m currently working on a case study research project on Chile and Bolivia, two countries I selected as good fits for future Girl Rising expansion. This project has helped me improve my researching and presenting skills for future Tulane research projects or a future senior thesis. I’ve also gained experience with French translations, and hope to use my language skills to connect with french-speaking communities when I study abroad and work alongside these communities in future endeavors.
Part of the French website piece I translated:
Finally, leadership development has been an important aspect of this internships, with intangible benefits I will carry into all my future undertakings. The entire staff at Girl Rising is composed of women, including four interns, and I have learned a lot from observing their confidence in their skills and their professionalism in the community. They have encouraged me to be more vocal with my ideas and input, erasing the fear that I’m wasting their time by contributing suggestions or personal interest projects. Although this was a challenge for me in an environment of all women, I know that these tasks can be even more daunting in other workplace environments, and I’m lucky to have experienced these challenges here so that I can anticipate and address them at future jobs and internships. I have also developed as a leader in general, thanks to the flexible and independent work environment at Girl Rising. The nature of my work here requires time management, drive, initiative, and coordination with others in order to complete our many projects by their deadlines.
I feel incredibly lucky to have been granted the opportunity to work at Girl Rising, and can’t wait for my remaining time here. Stay tuned for a final update and reflection soon!